An accountability court in Islamabad indicted former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and six others in the rental power case on Friday.
Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir heard the case during which all accused, including the water and power former minister, refused to plead guilty whereas the bench hearing the case sought all relevant evidence from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the next hearing of the case which was adjourned until February 4.
Talking to media persons, after the hearing, the former prime minister belonging to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) said that he could not comment on the issue as the matter was sub-judice.
He further said that the character assassination campaign being run on the media was regrettable.
Ashraf is accused of misusing his authority during his tenure as the minister for water and power to obtain approval from the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) and the cabinet for an increase in the down payment to the rental power companies from 7 per cent to 14 per cent, amounting to about Rs22 billion.
He authorised on April 13, 2009, the submission of a summary to the ECC which allegedly contained misleading facts, stating that the terms and conditions of the bidding envisaging seven per cent advance could not be met and should be raised to 14 per cent.
Ashraf’s counsel Farooq H Naik while talking to media after the hearing, said that former prime minister will soon be acquitted in the case. He said his client didn’t take any financial benefit.
The names of Iqbal Z Ahmed and M N Baig were deleted from the list of the accused.
Its all drama the accountability courts have failed in Pakistan
Hey anyone to do anything with Mr 10% Zardari is corrupt to the core.
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